: Re: What are the benefits of being a slush reader? I've heard a few people recommend doing time volunteering as a slush reader (for a small press magazine, say), as the experience can be helpful

@Sims2267584

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There are a lot of pros and cons to doing this

Pros:

You'll be exposed to a lot of bad writing and you'll know what not to do in your own work.
You'll be exposed to some good writing as well and know what you should do in your work.
You'll have a chance to learn insider tricks about what to do and what not to do during submission.
You have a chance to network in the publishing world and find connections that could help down the road.

Cons:

You'll most likely be working for free. Unless you've got experience in the publishing world, they're most likely not going to hire you to read through their slush pile.
You'll be reading a lot of bad writings. Too many writers don't put the necessary work into a manuscript before submitting it.
It's going to be long and tiring. You'll most likely have to meet a quota and it can be time consuming to read through manuscripts and queries.

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